Why Chargers haven’t signed any of their draft picks

For reference, all rookies were signed to their contracts around this time last year.

In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Chargers selected six players: quarterback Justin Herbert, linebacker Kenneth Murray, running back Joshua Kelley, safety Alohi Gilman and wide receivers Joe Reed and K.J. Hill.

It’s been a little less than two months since the draft, and not one of these players have been signed to their professional contract.

In 2019, Los Angeles had their whole draft class signed by June 19. A year prior to that, L.A. inked all seven members from that draft by June 1.

So as we are in the middle of June, why haven’t the Chargers signed any of their draft picks from this year’s draft yet?

According to Sports Illustrated Albert Breer, it’s not just Los Angeles. Instead, there are a handful of other teams across the league that have yet to come to agreement with their selections.

“Just 51 of 255 draft picks (20%) and only two first-rounders were signed by June 1,” Breer said. “At the same juncture last year, 204 draft picks, including 20 first-rounders were under contract. (My guess is a lot of those young guys wouldn’t mind getting paid.)”

One of the biggest reasons as to why a lot of players haven’t signed their NFL contracts is because of the coronavirus pandemic. The players not being able to come to the facilities is a major impact because that’s where physicals take place, which is key to the signing process.

Another reason could be because players aren’t in a situation to get paid right off the bat. Since everything is virtual, not many rookies haven’t made the move to their perspective cities where they will be playing, which means that payments for housing and such won’t be required yet.

Expect to see some action after June 26 and before July 28. Those dates are important because it marks the end of the virtual offseason program, as well as the expected start date of training camp.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert wants to model game after Tom Brady

Tom Brady’s success in the NFL has inspired rookie Justin Herbert.

Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert has yet to take a single snap in the NFL. However, the former Oregon product already has some goals and expectations for himself.

The first-round selection was part of a virtual live chat alongside draftees wide receivers Joe Reed and K.J. Hill on Wednesday night.

Herbert was asked a slew of questions, but one of them that host Jim Hill asked was which current NFL quarterback would he like to pattern his game after.

It just so happens to be one who will go down as one of the best signal-callers to play the game.

“I would say Tom Brady,” Herbert said. “He’s one of those guys that’s had so much success. Just the way he goes at the game, how smart he is. Just the way he’s handled everything, it’s been really fun to watch.

One of those guys that you just want to model your game after. The way he throws, the way he reads defenses and the way he plays the game.”

Hill responded to Herbert’s answer in a jokingly manner, “And all those rings kind of helps?” “Doesn’t hurt,” Herbert said.

There’s no telling whether or not Herbert will have the success that Brady has had, but he’s not shying away from trying to make the most of his professional career by striving to be like one of the greatest.

Even though players and coaches have been limited to everything being virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic, Herbert has already made a good impression on his positional coach, Pep Hamilton.

Herbert has been working out with some of his teammates now that he’s moved from Eugene, OR to Orange County, CA. He will soon starting throwing with his soon-to-be targets, which include Hill and Reed.

“I think K.J. is coming down here pretty soon. Especially with Joe, we’ll get to work as soon as we can. It’s a great opportunity for us. It’s a chance we’ve always asked for and I know these two guys are going to do everything they can. And I’m looking forward to it,” Herbert said.

Checking in on Chargers rookie DT Jerry Tillery

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez breaks down the first 11 games of defensive tackle Jerry Tillery’s professional career.

In need of shoring up the interior part of the defensive line, Chargers general manager took former Notre Dame product Jerry Tillery with the team’s first-round selection of the 2019 NFL draft.

The pick had many fans ecstatic when his name was announced and the hype continued to build up entering this season after a phenomenal summer. But since then, Tillery hasn’t been as hot, thus having those wondering what’s going on with the No. 28 overall selection.

Let’s start off with his stat line through 11 games of his rookie campaign.

11 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks

Tillery’s usage is floating slightly above 40% of the defensive snaps, so he’s certainly up there with other notable players at the position — Damion Square (46.8%), Justin Jones (42.8%), Brandon Mebane (37.4%).

Los Angeles drafted Tillery to serve as a key interior pass rusher, so that way he could take some of the pressure off defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. So, why doesn’t his stat sheet suggest that?

The first thing is that the Chargers have primarily played Tillery on first and second down and have resorted to taking him off the field during obvious passing downs. Instead, defensive end Isaac Rochell has been used in that role.

On the field, there has there have been evident growing pains, but Tillery has shown flashes that may go unnoticed. Coming out of college, he beat defenders with speed, strength and pure athleticism.

We see that here as Tillery creates immediate movement with his initial surge and forward lean into the blocker. With him being so lengthy, his pad level has been an issue. But we see when he stays low, he will win the battle.

Tillery has seen a hefty amount of double teams, and one issue that he had since coming out of college is struggling when blockers get to his hip which has still been clear. A part of that has to do with him tending to play high, but also the lack of countering.

But he does a nice job controlling the point of attack when square with blockers, and we have seen glimpses of solid countering when he is locked up with a blocker.

Here, Tillery goes with an arm over on the guard and spins off the center to create pressure on quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Here, Tillery gets locked up with the guard at first, but he throws a club and dips to disengage and shows great effort to pressure quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Speaking of effort, that also shows in the run game, too. Tillery works down the line of scrimmage and stops running back Derrick Henry in his tracks for a little gain.

Here, he generates good power on this play and he displays great balance, body control and a strong rip move to slither his way through his blocker.

Many think that Tillery is underperforming for a first round selection, but the truth is, even though he’s not as superior statistically, the other defensive tackles that were taken before him aren’t that spectacular in Year 1, either.

New York Jets DT Quinnen Williams (No. 3 overall)

20 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss

Buffalo Bills DT Ed Oliver (No. 9 overall)

23 combined tackles 2.0 sacks, 1 tackle for loss

Miami Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins (No. 13 overall)

36 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, 2 tackles for loss

New York Giants DT Dexter Lawrence (No. 17 overall)

26 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss

The bottom line is that while it would have been nice for Tillery to play like his draft slot immediately, but there’s no reason to label him as a first-year ‘bust’. He hasn’t been primarily played in the role the Chargers drafted him for as a pass-rusher and there are signs of technical deficiencies that could easily be fixed.

I expect Tillery to continue to blossom into a key part of the defensive line by Year 2 or 3, where he’s racking up four or more sacks per season. The offseason will be essential to his growth. And keep in mind, Tillery will have a fresh slate as he spent a good chunk of this past offseason rehabbing his torn labrum.

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